RI Masonic Youth Foundation Gazebo Design

***Update***

Below is the updated image for the Masonic Gazebo. The front gable end is closed in and shingled, and will display a plaque dedicating the gazebo to Masonic's Grandma. Check back this weekend for photos of the build!

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I started working for the RIMYF when I was 14 years old. I started working in the snack bar and moved on to be lifeguard from 2008-2013. Now that I've "moved on" as they say to a more career oriented summer job (my internship) I've been given a chance to give back to the foundation in a new way. I was asked to design a new Gazebo to be placed at the entrance to the park's parking lot. It will serve as a shelter for the workers who check passes, and as a visually as a marker so people know they have to stop. 

The Gazebo is 12'x10' sitting on a concrete pad. This render is a little rough. Usually I would take more care in the background/landscape, but I rushed to get it done today to show the builder to give myself enough time to fix anything before Wednesday. It took me longer than I thought to get back in the swing of using the programs after not using them at all in studio last semester. I used sketchup to create the gazebo, imported it into Revit as a mass to render and added more materials in Photoshop. 

If this design is approved by the builder and the foundation it will get built this weekend!

Studio H Design

Its people like Emily Pilloton who inspire and motivate me to become an architect. 

Emily Pilloton is the founder of Project H, a nonprofit design group whose focus is to develop effective design solutions for the people who need them the most. Back in 2009, Project H was contacted by the school superintendent from Bertie County North Carolina to help improve the school system through design. They created a design build curriculum for students called Studio H that began in 2010. This description of studio H comes from the Project H Design website...

"Studio H is an in-school design/build class for 8th-11th grade students. First launched in Bertie County, NC and now based at Realm Charter School in Berkeley, CA, Studio H students apply their core subject learning to design and build audacious and socially transformative projects. Students of Studio H have previously dreamed up, designed, and constructed a 2000-square-foot farmers market pavilion, a pop-up park, laser-etched skateboards, sculptural concrete public furniture, roadside farmstands, and more. Through experimentation, non-stop production, tinkering, and a lot of dirt under their fingernails, students develop the creative capital, critical thinking, and citizenship necessary for their own success and for the future of their communities."

Through Studio H, students designed and built a new classroom space made out of three shipping containers. They designed the classroom to be open with a raised roof to let in ample light. And building it themselves they learned how to use a full array of construction equipment and techniques.  You can watch the TED Talk below that tells the story of Studio H in Bertie NC...

Along with founding Project H, Emily has also written a book called Design Revolution, which features design solutions for the people who need them the most. I hope to one day use my knowledge and skills as an architect to design and give back to people in need. 

Check out Project H's website here

-A